I expected a sad ending

I expected a sad ending to the novel because of the various examples of foreshadowing scattered throughout the plot and the overall tone/atmosphere. The ending of SL fit perfectly with the rest of the story, and I wouldn't have expected Hawthorne to finish the book any other way. Dimmesdale finally confesses his sin on the scaffold, but dies immediately after, Chillingworth never being able to get his full revenge.

One example of foreshadowing that I noticed was in chapter six, "Pearl", at the end of the first paragraph ("God, as a direct consequence...which she owed her being." pg 61) This quote illustrates Hester's growing fear about the future, highlighted by Pearl's strange and almost evil personality. Pearl was a living reminder of the sin Hester committed, and Hester feels a lingering sense of doom as Pearl grows up and develops a somewhat evil personality.

Another part in the book that hinted towards the ending was the ominous scarlet letter A that appeared in the sky the night Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl were on the scaffold together ("We impute it, therefore...another symbol in it." pg 102). This not only showed Dimmesdale's immense guilt, but also foreshadowed the upcoming confession. If a scarlet letter flashed across the sky, it is something that is obviously seen if there are people there to witness it (symbolic for Dimmesdale's big confession at the end of SL).

Also, SL is a Romantic novel, which means that the overall atmosphere was dark and gloomy, and what better way to end a dark and gloomy novel than a tragic confession accompanied by death? I do not think Hawthorne could have possibly come up with a happy ending to this story, simply because it would not have "meshed" well with the rest of the plot.

After I read the end of the book, I realized what a good story it was. Sure, it was not the most exciting book to read, and I'll admit that I wasn't too happy at first about the book being assigned in class. But I was really impressed with how well-written it was, and once I got into it, the plot was intriguing. I think the fact that this book was Romantic also made it more interesting, because so far I have enjoyed reading Romantic pieces.